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Printers are constantly asked by their customers to meet “impossible” deadlines. The pressure is even greater when a complex project involves significant post press production. Here are a few tips on how to communicate with your bindery to meet those deadlines without raising your costs:
Discover the Real Quantity - When a customer asks for an impossible turnaround on a large-quantity project, ask a few questions to see how the project will be used. Will they be distributing smaller quantities to various locations, or storing some for future use? If possible, discover how many pieces the customer really needs right away. A smaller quantity may suffice, making that “impossible” deadline much more possible.
Telescope Non-Production Activities - Impossible schedules can often be met when we can minimize the time it takes to begin production once a job arrives on our floor. With plenty of communication between ourselves and the printer, we can “telescope” activities such as writing job tickets in advance to be sure these processes are completed once production is scheduled to begin.
Send Waste Sheets in Advance - It’s not uncommon for a makeready on a complex folding project to take several hours. Although this timeframe can’t be reduced, the impact it has on the production schedule can be minimized through advance planning. Whenever possible, send us spoilage sheets early in the print production run. This allows us to perform our makeready while the project is still printing, and begin post press production as soon as we receive the project.
The Rickard Advantage
When your customer asks you for an “impossible” schedule, let Rickard Bindery help make it a reality. Our many machines, experienced staff and convenient Chicago location are three reasons why Rickard Bindery lets you say, “Yes, we can do that!”
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